St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-09-03
REVOLVING CRUELTY.

REVOLVING CRUELTY.
A Educated Russian Wena.'s Story Al
Frvatioa md Suffering.
Nine. c. nee Koutouzoff. was
found guilty Of opening . school for
peasants children, independent Of the
Ministry of Public Instruction. As her
crime was not penal. and q. moreover.
she was married to a foreigner, General
Gourko merely ordered her to be sent
over the frontier. This is how she de-
scribes her journey from St. Petersburg
to Prussia shall give extracts from
her narrative without comment, merely
promising that its accuracy even to
the minutest detail. is absolutely un.
improbable.
Il was sent to Wilno with fifty pris-
oners-men and women. From tho
railway station we were taken to tho
town prison and kept there for two
hours. late at night, in an open yard
under . drenching rain. At last we
were pushed into dark corridor and
counted. After many oaths and much
foul language the fire was lighted. and
l found myself in . spacious room in
which it was impossible to take step
in any direction without treading on
the women who were sleeping on tho
floor. Two women who occupied bed
took pity ON me and invited me to share
It with them.
''When l awoke next morning l was
suffering from the scenes Of yesterday.
but the female prisoners-assassins and
thieves-were 20 kind to me that by
and by I grew calm. Next night we
were turned out from the prison and
paraded in the yard for start, under
. heavy rain. / do not know how I
happened to escape the ists of the
jailers. - the prisoners did not under
stand the evolutiOns. and performed
them under . storm of blows and
curses, those who protested-saying
that they ought not to be beaten-wcre
put in irons and sent to the train, in the
teeth of the law. which says that in the
cellular wagons no prisoner shall be
chained. Arrived at Kovno. we spent
the whole day in going from
one police station to another. In the
evening we were taken to the
prison for women. Here I spent .
week among murderesses. thieves and
women arrested by mistake. Misfor.
tune unites the unfortunate, and every
body tried to make life more tolerable
Tor the rest: all were very kind to me
and did their best to console me. On
the previous day I had eaten nothing.
for the day the prisoners are brought
to the prison they receive no food; SO I
tainted from hunger. and the prisoners
gave me of their bread and were Is kind
rs they could b. The female inspec-
tor, however. was on duty. She was
shouting out such shameless oaths -
few drunken men would use.
AFTER weeks stay in Kovno was
sent on foot TO the next town. After
three days march we came to Mariam-
pol; my feet were wounded and my
stockings full Of blood The soldiers
advised me to AK for . car. but I pre-
ferred physical suffering to the contin-
nous cursing and foul language of the
chiefs. All the same. they took me
before their commander. and he re.
marked that I had walked three days
and 50 could walk fourth. We came
next day to Wolkowsk. whence We
were to be sent on to Prussia. I and
i've others were put Professionally in tho
depot The women's department was
in ruins, % We were taken to the mems.
Il did not know what to do, - there
vas no place to sit down. except upon
The dreadfully filthy floor. There was
even no straw, and the stencil on the
aoor set me vomiting instantly. Here
'pent two days and two nights. passing
he whole time 1t the window. On tho
'hird day . soldier Of the depot. Jew.
took me into his room. . tiny cell,
where staid with his wife.
The prisoners told me that many OF
hem were detained by mistake for
'even or eight months awaiting their
papers before being sent across tho
It is easy to imagine their
condition after . seven months stay in
his sewer without . change Of linen.
They advised me to give the jailer |
money, rs he would then send me
IN to Prussia Immediately. But had
'een six weeks on the way already
md my letter had not reached nv
'eople. At last the soldier allowed
ne to 60 to the post-ofice with
liz wife. and ! sent . registered letter
o St. Petersburg" Mime. c. has
influential kinsfolk in the capital. and
n few days the Governor General
for her to be sent on in.
family to Prussia. my papers (she
ays) were discovered immediately, and
was sent to Eydtkunen and set at
liberty" It must be owned that the
'icture is horrible. But it is not whit
To such Of us Russians
. have had to do with prisons every
vord rings true and every scene looks
FORMAL. Oaths. filth. brutality. bribery.
lows, hunger-these are the essentials
4 every ostrog and Of every depot from
[ovnO to Kamchatka and from Arch.
nigel to Erzerum.-Krapotkise's Rus.
iow Gnd FreHck Press.
Engaging Manners.
There are thousand pretty and en-.
aging little ways which every person
nay put on. without running The risk
being deemed either affected or